Ukip leader Nigel Farage in the George and Dragon in Downe, Kent. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA Archive

At the George and Dragon in the pretty Kent village of Downe, the ale is likely to be flowing in abundance this weekend. Ukip's leader, Nigel Farage, is a hail-fellow-well-met character at the best of times. But the backslapping will be particularly hearty today, assuming he makes his regular Sunday excursion to a spot by the bar and a sign that states: "Be nice or leave."

"He's extremely happy at the moment," said Jamie Newman, the landlord. "When he's here, it's like he's holding court. He's very approachable and they have a really good laugh."

Ukip's triumph – second place and 27.8% of the vote is its best ever parliamentary election result – has turned his 600-year-old village local into a site of genuine political interest. Farage's persona as an ale-drinking man of the people appears uncontrived, and the drinkers at the George are happy to serve as a weekly informal focus group.

They can also be deployed as firepower in Ukip's perpetual battle against metropolitan liberalism. Last year on the subject of gay marriage, Farage said: "The division between city and rural is absolutely huge. In my village pub in Kent they are just completely against."

The clientele are mostly middle-aged white men. A quick tour of concerns throws up gay marriage and immigration, but the most popular topics are Europe and a distrust of politicians.

The Tory voters among the regulars feel particularly let down by their party. "David Cameron offering a referendum on Europe after the election is like me offering to halve the price of drinks after I sell the pub," Newman said. "Traditionally I would have voted Conservative but we all feel that Conservatives are not Conservatives and Labour are not Labour. We don't trust any of the traditional politicians. People don't speak their minds. Nigel Farage does and English people appreciate it," he said. "There are no Ukip activists here, only friends."

Brian Masters has known Farage for years: "We see him as a personal friend, not a politician. What happens on television is a separate world. He is a genuinely nice guy."

Another regular intervenes. "Politicians never stop working the room and Nigel is like that even in here," he said.

Masters disagrees politely. "That's really superficial. He was a commodities trader. He saw his market being disrupted by European regulations and he looked around and saw how it was affecting every aspect of society. He has not set out to be a politician, he became one. His issue is Europe – that's why he is there. If that was solved he would go," he said.

Another regular said he had given up trying to make the pro-European case to Britain's most notorious Eurosceptic: "I used to argue with him about it but now he has all the facts and figures to hand so I don't do it so much. His wife gives him hell about Europe though, it's very funny to hear."

As Ukip's political profile has grown, Farage's pub habits have had to change. Sunday appearances used to be after a round of golf but now it is more likely to be after an appearance on The Andrew Marr Show. According to one regular, Farage told the pub last year: "They are starting to take me seriously now. I'd better make some policies."

Tom Joyce, who has known Farage for decades, said: "We have seen his journey from being a Conservative to where he is now. He did very well this week. The question is, can he build on this success? I think he will go further."